Lawrence A. Eberle, BiographyPorter County biographical sketches . . . .
Transcribed biography of Lawrence A. Eberle
REV. LAWRENCE A. EBERLE. One of the earnest and able representatives of the priesthood of the Catholic church in Indiana is Rev. Lawrence A. Eberle, the loved and honored pastor of the parish of St. Patrick's church at Chesterton. Attracted to the ranks of the clergy by the irresistible appeal of a noble purpose and a manly method and qualified in his own character and personality, as well as in his mere attainments, he is one of those shepherds whose influence has ever been a potent element for good, resulting in the substantial growth of the various churches with which he has been connected and in the furtherance of the Catholic church as a great and growing force for social betterment in our country.
Father Eberle is of German lineage. He was born on the 13th of March, 1875, a son of Adam Eberle. His mother's maiden name was Terresa Schaaf. Both parents were natives of Bensheim, Darmstadt, state of Hesse, Germany, where the father was born in 1828 and the mother in 1830. The latter has passed to life eternal, her demise having occurred in April, 1903. Both were reared in the Fatherland and there were married prior to their immigration to the United States in 1854. They located in Peru, Indiana, where Adam Eberle became a market gardener and where he still resides at the advanced age of eighty-our years. To the union of these parents were born thirteen children, of whom five still survive, viz.: Henry, Mary, Severne, Charles and Lawrence.
Until fourteen years of age Father Eberle attended the parochial schools of Peru, Indiana. His studies there were followed by a two years' classical course in St. Viateurs College at Kankakee, Illinois, subsequently becoming a student at St. Joseph's College at Rensselaer, Indiana, where he remained five years and finished the classical course. The excellent preparation already acquired was supplemented by further work in Mount St. Mary's Seminary, Cincinnati, Ohio, where he completed his studies in philosophy and theology. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 24, 1902, by Bishop Alerding of the Northern Indiana Bishopric, the solemn rites of ordination having been performed in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception at Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
His first appointment was as an assistant at St. Joseph's church, Mishawaka, Indiana, where he remained over two years before taking up similar duties in St. Mary's church, Decatur, Indiana. A year later he was placed in charge of the parishes at Portland and Geneva, Indiana, where he remained two years before being made pastor of St. John's church at Goshen, Indiana. There he continued four years, or until July 1, 1911, when he was transferred to the parish of St. Patrick's church at Chesterton, his present charge.
Father Eberle is a man of warm heart and kindly nature, one who sympathizes with the sorrows and sufferings of his parishioners and whose sound judgment is helpful to those who seek its counsel. He has devoted himself to his work with zeal and fidelity and his efforts have borne good results, both in a temporal and spiritual sense. As a citizen he evinces a distinct public spirit, is interested in advancing the prosperity and welfare of his community, and thereby and by his high ideals of life he has won not only the high esteem of his parishioners but of the entire community as well. Father Eberle is a member of the Knights of Columbus at Decatur, Indiana.
Source: Lewis Publishing Company. 1912. History of Porter County, Indiana: A Narrative Account of its Historical Progress, its People and its Principal Interests. Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Company. 881 p.
Page(s) in Source: 850-851
This biography has been transcribed exactly as it was originally published in the source. Please note that we do not provide photocopies or digital scans of biographies appearing on this website.
Biography transcribed by Steven R. Shook